Neutrality is a policy position a state can take as a third party to a conflict, and is a commitment to not to join said conflict. It is as old as conflict. Sweden has had a perpetual state of neutrality for the last 200 years. Sweden has during that time navigated through several smaller conflicts in its vicinity, two world wars and the cold war. After Russia commenced its war of aggression on Ukraine in 2022, Sweden abruptly changed its position and applied for membership in NATO. This even when Sweden’s own neutrality has not been contested or violated. 

This makes Sweden a good case study on “why and when neutrality fails?” 

This study aims to answer those two questions using two of the oldest International Relations theories, Realism and Liberalism.

The results show that both theories can explain the policy change. During the uni-polar world, post-cold war there was no reason for Sweden to stay strictly neutral. Sweden actively helped developing democracy in eastern Europe and especially the Baltic to stabilize friendly neighbor states. The benefits of Joining the EU and integrating into the continent outweighed the benefits of strict neutrality. This set Sweden on a path to join NATO, as to keep conflict further from Sweden proper during more trying times.